Does Your Mother Know
by artificialheart
Summary: Caroline shares some gossip with the other moms, which brings about some suspicions. Jodi frets over a few secrets her eldest son has been keeping, while Robin just wants her son to be happy. Abigail finds herself playing advisor to not only Sam and Sebastian, but Alex as well. Sam stresses about the upcoming return of his father, and Sebastian just wants to be a good boyfriend.
1. Love Isn't Easy

**Caroline**

* * *

Caroline was once young, too.

She knows Abigail finds it hard to believe – all that remains of her younger, wilder days is her green hair – but Caroline still remembers. She remembers the parties she attended, where she'd arrive with one partner and leave with another, the parties where she'd casually dabbled in recreational smoking, and _that _party, where she'd met Abigail's father.

Not Pierre. She'd met him in the library, while she was checking out mystery novels, and he was checking out books on capitalism. It was a rather dull first meeting, something that would become a pattern for the rest of their marriage.

Her party days are what led her to make the rule that Abigail hates – no sleepovers with boys, unless Caroline's there to supervise.

Abigail's told her time and time again that there's nothing more than friendship between her, Sebastian, and Sam, but Caroline's not so sure. The boys don't seem particularly interested in any of the other single girls in town, and Abigail hasn't expressed any interest in any other boys, either. It's crossed her mind more than once that Abigail might have thoughts about fooling around with Sam and Sebastian – possibly at the same time.

Caroline's had threesomes before; she knows the appeal.

Their sleepovers are, for the most part, fairly uneventful. They order takeout from the Saloon, and hole up in Abby's room for the rest of the night, playing video games, or with that damned spirit board that Abigail refuses to get rid of. They roll their eyes whenever Caroline pokes her head in the room to check in on them, and she knows there's jokes made at her expense once she leaves.

* * *

Caroline knocks on Abigail's bedroom door, for one last check-in with her and the boys before she heads off to bed.

"_ What _, Mom?" Abigail calls back.

Caroline enters the room. "There's no need for that tone, Abby – I just came in to see if you needed anything else before bed…" she glances over at Sam and Sebastian, who seem to only have one pillow between the two of them, "boys, I could grab you an extra pillow if you want?"

"We're fine, thanks," Sebastian answers.

"Alright then," she says. It's a little odd that they're sharing a pillow - as well as the sleeping bags - but she doesn't particularly care where they sleep, as long as they're not in Abby's bed. "Goodnight." She gives them all a warm, but stern look as she moves to close the door. "No funny business, Abby."

"Yoba, Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? We're not going to have a threesome!"

* * *

This time, as she settles back into bed, she wonders why she never considered that Sam and Sebastian might actually be interested in each other, rather than her daughter.

Caroline doesn't ask Jodi and Robin outright; as much as she wants to know if Sam and Sebastian are more than friends, she doesn't want to out the boys entirely. She tries to bring it up casually, instead, hoping that one of the other moms might know more than she does.

"Have you ever noticed how close Sam and Sebastian are?" she asks, as she pours herself a cup of coffee. Jodi and Robin are gathered around her kitchen table, for their post-workout brunch, the way they do every week. "Almost… romantically close, in a way."

Jodi frowns, stabbing at a piece of pancake with her fork. "Why would you say that?"

Caroline shrugs. "They're very affectionate for two boys, you know?"

"Sam's not gay," Jodi says, firmly, "if that's what you're implying."

"I wasn't trying to imply anything," Caroline replies, backtracking quickly. "It was just a thought."

"Is it the jeans?" Jodi asks, continuing to press the issue, instead of changing the subject like Caroline hoped. "I know, he wears very tight jeans, and Yoba, he spends at least an hour every morning on his hair… but that doesn't mean he's gay."

Robin's frowning now, too, and as much as Caroline doesn't want to, she thinks she should bring up the incident that sparked the idea, before her friends think she's basing this assumption off stereotype alone. "It's just… they were sharing a sleeping bag at Abby's sleepover," she says.

Robin raises an eyebrow. "A single sleeping bag? How'd they manage to cram themselves into that?"

"No, I think they zipped theirs together," Caroline replies.

Jodi sighs. "They call it a mega-bag. It was cute when they were eleven… but now?" She frowns as she pours another dollop of syrup on to her plate. "To be honest, I thought they were all a bit old to be having a sleepover."

"It's nice that they're all so close still," Robin comments. "I worry about Sebby getting lonely. He's always locked away in his room… I'm glad Sam gets him out of the house so often."

"They were close alright." Caroline can't help but let a tiny smile slip. "They were snuggled up right against each other… it was kind of sweet."

"I don't know why they insist on sharing beds, they're definitely too old to be doing that," Jodi says with a huff. "Sam fell out of bed the other morning after they both tried to fit on one twin-sized mattress, it was ridiculous. We have a perfectly good pull-out couch in the living room!"

Robin laughs. "Sounds like he needs a bigger bed." She takes a sip of her coffee. "You know I'm always happy to do some free carpentry work for you, Jodi – you and the boys are practically family."

"Robin, please, no business talk at brunch. You know the rules." Caroline teases.

"Sam's bed is just fine," Jodi assures Robin, but then she sighs again. "Vince is probably going to need a new bed soon, though. He's just growing so fast! Thank Yoba I saved all of Sam's old clothes."

"They're all growing too fast," Robin agrees. "I can't believe Sebby's going to be twenty-three tomorrow!"

Jodi looks relieved at the change of subject. "Oh, that's right! Does he have anything special planned?"

"I think he's driving out to Zuzu with Sam," Robin replies. "He hasn't said much about it; I'm not sure."

Jodi's frown quickly returns. "Abigail's not coming with them?"

"Definitely not," Caroline says, "she's grounded after that snowman stunt." Turning to Robin, she asks, "Are they taking his motorcycle? Or are they borrowing Lewis' truck?"

"They're probably taking his bike – don't worry, Jodi, I'll make sure they wear helmets."

Jodi, despite Robin's assurance, continues to look worried. "What are they going to do in the city?"

"Sebby didn't say," Robin replies. "Dinner, maybe? They'll probably go out for sushi."

Caroline thinks back to the bits and pieces of conversation she'd overheard at dinner that night. "They mentioned something about piercings the other night… honestly, I'm a little relieved that Abby won't going with them, if that's what they're doing. Yoba knows what she'd try to get done… I've already let her pierce her ears."

Jodi purses her lips. "Sam better not be getting any. Earrings on a boy… I'm sorry, Robin, but they just look wrong, don't they?"

"I'm not a huge fan of Sebby's piercings," Robin agrees, "but I don't really mind earrings; could be worse." She takes a sip of her coffee, and then smiles. "One time, Demetrius asked him to take all his piercings out before dinner… he came to the table wearing safety pins in all the holes instead."

Caroline stifles a laugh, while Jodi looks horrified.

"I think Sam's just tagging along for food," Robin suggests. "I doubt he's getting any piercings done."

"He does wear necklaces, sometimes," Jodi says, toying with her own necklace. "The sign of Yoba I gave him, sometimes Kent's old dog tags. I could see him wanting to get his ears pierced… especially if Sebastian's there to egg him on."

Caroline thinks that Sam and Sebastian are equally good at encouraging mischief, but unlike Jodi, she has the sense not to verbalize that thought.

Robin sighs. "Sebby's not a bad kid, he's just… misunderstood." She hesitates, and then adds, "They're both adults. Even if we don't agree with their choices, we shouldn't stop them from expressing themselves, you know?"

"Look on the bright side; at least he hasn't come home with dyed hair yet," Caroline says, hoping to lighten the mood a little. "I'm always a little nervous whenever Abby decides to have a hair dying party… I thought Sebastian was going to punch something when she 'accidentally' dyed his hair pink."

"Can you imagine Sam with pink hair?" Robin laughs.

Jodi laughs too, though it's a little uneasy sounding. Quickly, she launches into the story about how she'd been concerned about the unusual, orange-y colour of Vincent's head when he was born, only to be told by doctors that it was, in fact, his hair. It's a story they've all heard before, but Caroline jumps on the opportunity to move on from the subject of Sam, and Sebastian, and their sexualities.

**Abigail**

* * *

Abigail swears as her cart misses the jump, and drops off the television screen. She sets her controller down, taking a moment to stretch before she restarts the game.

There's a knock on her bedroom door before she can reach for her controller again. Abigail runs through her mental list of chores, trying to figure out if there's something she forgot to do before holing away in her bedroom.

"What, mom?" Abigail yells when she hears her mom knock again. "I already did all my chores."

Her bedroom door opens, and to her surprise, it's Alex. He steps into the room tentatively, leaving the door open. "Um, hi," Alex says. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. "Is it alright if I come in? Your mom kind of glared at me when I asked if I could talk to you alone in your room…"

Abigail rolls her eyes. "Ugh, seriously? No, come in, it's cool." She pats the floor next to her. "You wanted to talk right? Let's discuss this over a game of Junimo Cart… and close the door; my mom loves to eavesdrop."

Alex shuts the door behind him, and then crosses the room to sit next to her. She hands him a controller, and he turns it over in his hands, studying it.

"You've played before, right?" Abigail asks, as she restarts the game.

"Not really," he admits. The match begins, and Alex frowns, mashing buttons on his controller at random.

"Yoba, you're worse than I am," Abigail says with a laugh. "Finally, someone I can beat; even Sam kicks my ass at this game!"

Alex crashes his cart, and groans. "Do I get another try?"

"Yeah," Abigail replies, nodding towards the top left corner of the screen. "You get three, see?" She smirks as she watches Alex out of the corner of her eye, his brow furrowed as he tries to work out the timing on the jumps.

They play in silence for a few minutes, and it's kind of nice, despite the fact that they're both terrible players. Abigail was planning on waiting until Alex got into the groove of the game before she starts springing questions on him, but he surprises her by breaking the silence first.

"I think I might be, um… a homo sa-pien?" He sounds the last word out carefully, and Abigail has to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"I think you mean homosexual," she politely suggests, and Alex flushes bright red.

"Sorry," he mumbles, "I just wanted to use, you know… the most correct word? I didn't want to be rude." He misses his next jump, and sighs. "I suck."

"Hey, that'll come in handy the first time you get in bed with another guy." She winces as the words come out of her mouth - this is Alex she's talking to, not Sam or Sebastian. Dick jokes were _not _the way to go, not when the poor boy had been terrified of even saying the word 'gay' a week ago.

To her surprise, he laughs. "Wow. I, uh, wasn't expecting that when you offered to talk to me."

Abigail groans, setting her controller down. "That was a stupid joke, I'm sorry. I've been spending _way _too much time with Sam and Sebastian."

"It's okay," Alex assures her. "It's nice being able to laugh about this stuff."

She nods enthusiastically. "I know what you mean. It's like, you spend half your life being scared of anyone finding out who you are, and not even being able to admit it to yourself... and then you find friends you can joke about it with, and it just makes it so, _so _much easier to accept it."

"So you're gay, too?" Alex asks.

"Well, bisexual," Abigail corrects. "I like girls, but I also like guys, too."

Alex frowns at her. "Doesn't everybody like both? That's what being gay is, right? You like girls, but then you also like guys?"

"Okay wait, hang on… do you also like girls?"

"Yeah? But I like guys, so that means I'm gay. Doesn't it?" Alex gives her a hopeful look. "Or does that mean I'm not actually gay?"

"Alex, if you like guys _and _girls that means you're bisexual," Abigail explains, patiently, " and if you _only _like guys, that means you're homosexual." It's a little more complicated than that, but Abigail's not sure she wants to get into pansexuality, or different gender identities - Alex already looks confused enough.

"Huh," Alex says, "I never knew there was a word for people who like both."

Abigail gives him a sympathetic look. "Yeah, school's pretty fucking useless when it comes to teaching you stuff like this. Obviously it's far more important that we know that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell."

Alex groans. "I don't even know what a mite-oh-con-dria is."

"Don't worry about it. The important thing is, now you know you're bi. Welcome to the club, dude." she grins at him. "It'll be nice having someone else to talk about cute guys _and _girls with." She's been getting pretty tired of just listening to Sam and Sebastian gush about one another.

He nods. "Haley talks about cute guys and girls sometimes, but I don't know if she's bi?" That's news to Abigail. "She's never said anything about it, though. Maybe I should ask her?"

Abigail feels a weird twinge of jealousy at that. She brushes it off - Alex's been friends with Haley for years, and she already has Sam and Sebastian. So what if Alex wants to talk about this stuff with his other friend? That didn't mean he couldn't talk about it with her, too.

"So, is there anyone in town you have your eye on?" she asks. "Girl, guy… supernatural entity?"

Alex shakes his head, though there's a small smile tugging at the corner of his corner of his mouth. "Not really. There's just… I don't, there isn't really anyone that I can see myself being with, you know?" He frowns, toying with the buttons on his varsity jacket. "Like, more than just a hookup. Marriage, a family… I can't imagine anyone here wanting that with me."

"I always thought you and Haley had a thing," Abigail offers. "Before I thought you were gay, that is."

"We did, sort of? In high school. It didn't really work out... we don't exactly have a lot of common interests," Alex explains.

"But you guys are still friends?"

Alex nods. "Yeah, we're still good friends. It's just if I had a girlfriend… or, um, a boyfriend, I'd want someone who would want to go to gridball games and stuff like that, right? Haley's not into that kind of stuff." He hesitates, then gives Abigail a shy smile. "Sometimes, when I'm watching the game, I let her paint my toes."

She grins back at him. "That's adorable. Sebastian lets me paint his nails, but only if I use black." Sebastian probably wouldn't be too pleased if he found out she told Alex that, but Abigail figures she deserves to have a little fun, _especially _after taking the fall for their prank.

"So what about you?" Alex asks. "Do you like anyone in town?"

"The new farmer's kind of cute," she admits. "Don't you think?"

"Um, yeah," Alex agrees. "I haven't talked to her much, but she brings my grandparents homemade mayonnaise, sometimes."

Abigail's a little crestfallen to hear that she's not the only one the farmer's been bringing gifts to. "Oh, she brings me amethyst from the mines. I'm kind of jealous; I've always wanted to go down there myself."

"I bet she's got some nice muscle definition," Alex muses. "All that farm work, and mining on top of that?" He hesitates, then his eyes widen suddenly. "Sorry, I'm not trying to steal your girl or anything, I promise. I'm not interested in her like that."

"She's not my girl," Abigail assures him with a laugh. "Yet, anyways." She shifts in her spot, stretching out her legs. It's tiring enough, keeping Sam and Sebastian's secret, and she's not actually sure that she's ready to come out herself. Then, there was the matter of Shane…

"I think you should go for it."

"I don't even know if she likes girls, Alex." She twirls a strand of purple hair around her finger. "I think I saw her flirting with Shane at the Saloon last Friday."

"I can be your wingman," Alex offers. "You can help me figure out this bi stuff, and I'll help you with the farmer."

He looks so pleased with himself for coming up with this plan that Abigail can't help but give in. "Sounds good," she says with a smile. "You know you still gotta apologize to my friends though, right?"

Alex nods. "Maybe if you came with me, I could talk to them today?"

"I can't; I'm super fucking grounded," she groans. "I'm surprised my mom even let you in to visit me. And Sam and Sebastian drove out to the city today, anyways. I dunno when or if they'll be back tonight."

"Oh," he replies. "I didn't know they could drive."

"Yeah, Sebastian has a motorcycle."

Alex frowns as he considers this new information. "Huh. I never would've guessed. That's kinda cool."

"Well, you could tell him that when you apologize to him," Abigail suggests. She's not actually sure that Sebastian would be willing to accept an apology from Alex, but she thinks the look on Sebastian's face if Alex told him he thought he was cool would be pretty great.

"You said you guys meet up at the Saloon sometimes, right?" Alex asks.

"Right," she agrees, "so how about I bring you the next time we meet up, when I'm no longer grounded? You don't have to stick around the whole time, just long enough to apologize.

Alex looks a bit hesitant, but he nods. "That sounds good, I guess."

"Perfect." She leans forward, and picks up her controller again. "In the meantime… my mom hasn't come in to kick you out yet, so let's see how you do with Prairie King."


	2. Take a Chance On Me

**Jodi**

* * *

Sam promised he'd be home from Sebastian's before noon, but he doesn't return until it's almost six o'clock in the evening. Jodi hears the front door open as she finishes unpacking the last of her groceries, and judging by the two pairs of shoes she hears, he's brought Sebastian back with him.

"Thanks for walking me home." Sam's voice is loud enough that it carries into the kitchen. She can't hear what Sebastian says in response, but Sam's volume lowers considerably after that. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" is the last of their conversation that she catches, and she's relieved when she hears Sebastian leaving, because she hasn't even decided what she's going to make for dinner yet.

"Sam?" she calls out, before he has the chance to retreat to his bedroom. "Can you come to the kitchen and help with dinner, please?"

"Hey Mom," Sam greets her as he enters the kitchen. "Sorry I got home so late; we were playing Solarian Chronicles and we kinda lost track of time. What are we having for dinner, anyways?"

She hesitates. "Is breakfast for dinner alright? I'm not sure what else to make." Sam nods enthusiastically in response, and Jodi frowns as a flash of silver catches her eye. "Sam, what's that?"

"Um, nothing," Sam answers, tugging the collar of his jacket up higher. "Don't worry about it." Despite his efforts to hide it from her, the earring he's wearing is plainly obvious.

Her eyebrows furrow as she studies it. "When were you going to tell me you got this?"

"I'm twenty-two, mom," Sam protests. "I don't have to tell you everything… and it's only the one ear!"

Jodi sighs. "I know." She adjusts the well-worn collar of his denim jacket. "You're all grown up. I remember when this jacket used to be too big for you… You look just like your father in it." She sighs again, then lets go of the fabric. "You'll have your own house and your own family someday. You just need to find a nice girl."

Sam smiles, though it looks strained. "Um, speaking of Dad… have you heard anything?"

"We got a letter a few weeks ago," Jodi admits, and Sam looks hopeful, "but… I haven't opened it yet, I just… I can't open it, Sammy." She hadn't been expecting to receive any more letters after the last one, and she was dreading what the unexpected appearance of a new letter could mean.

"Hey." Sam pulls her into a hug. "It's okay; we'll open it together, okay mom?"

It feels a little odd, letting Sam be the one to comfort her, after almost twenty years of her being responsible for comforting him. "Thank you," she murmurs, rubbing his back a few times, before he lets her go. "Can you start the pancake mix? I'll go get the letter."

In the time that it takes Jodi to retrieve the letter from her bedside table, Sam's managed to mix together the ingredients for the batter without making a mess. She brings the letter over to the kitchen table, where Sam drops into a seat beside her.

"I'll open it," he says, taking the envelope from her.

Jodi's hands are shaking so much that she's not sure she would have been able to open it herself, anyways.

"The last letter was a good one, maybe this one will be, too," Sam tries to assure her, as he clumsily tears open the envelope. Sam hadn't actually read Kent's last two letters, because Jodi had hidden them away in her closet after she'd read them.

The first one had been the worst - an official notice saying that her husband had gone missing in action. There'd been a long stretch of time with no further news about Kent, and too much news on the television about how their troops were falling by the dozens. The lack of news hadn't been too hard to explain away - Sam frequently lamented about how long it took for mail orders to come in. Besides, he'd heard the news reports himself - he'd probably realized the chances of his dad returning home were growing slim.

She should have told him when the second one came in - it was short, but it had been good. Kent had written to tell her that he was safe, and would be getting discharged soon. At the time she hadn't wanted to get Sam's hopes up - there was still a chance that something could happen to prevent her husband's return.

But now, as Sam unfolds the letter, Jodi wonders if it might have been better to let him have that brief window of hope. What if it wasn't good news?

She takes a breath, then leans in closer to read the letter.

_Jodi, _

_Since I'll be coming home soon I want to tell you a few things. _

_I might not be the same man you remember. I've seen some things out here that have really shaken me up. I've been having a real hard time relaxing. _

_I don't want to scare you or make you upset. I just don't want you to be shocked when I get back. _

_Remember, no matter how I act, you and the kids mean everything to me. _

_I'll see you soon. _

_\- Kent _

"Dad's coming back home," Sam says, although it sounds more like he's asking a question than stating a fact. "Do you think there was supposed to be another letter? 'Cause it sounds like he thinks you already know he's coming back." He frowns. "Maybe it got lost, and that's why we haven't heard from him in so long."

Jodi tugs at her necklace. She could just let Sam assume the other letters had been lost in the mail - after all, the most important thing was that he knew his dad would be coming home… but was it right to keep all the details from him?

He was a man now, and it was probably best that he know what happened.

"There were a couple other letters, Sammy," she explains. "Two other letters. I didn't want you to read them, because I didn't want you to worry. I just… I wanted you and Vincent to have a good childhood. Kids shouldn't have to worry about whether their father is going to come home or not."

"But we just talked about this, Mom," Sam protests, "I'm not a kid anymore, I can handle it!"

She nods. "You're right; I'm sorry."

Sam places his hand over hers. "It's okay. Dad's okay, and that's all that matters, right?" He hesitates for a second. "Do you think I could read them, though?"

"Could it wait for another time?" she asks. "I'll have to find them; they're buried away in my closet… I just haven't had the time to sort it out lately."

He nods. "Of course."

Vincent comes plodding into the kitchen at that moment, and Jodi turns to glance at the kitchen clock - she really should have started dinner earlier.

"Is dinner ready yet?" Vincent asks.

"Not yet, buddy," Sam answers for her, getting up from the table. "Mom's still gotta cook it. Do you have any homework you need to do? I'll help you with it, and then after dinner we'll have all night to play some games!"

Vincent beams up at his older brother. "Okay! It's math though, so it's gonna be hard."

"That's okay. The important thing is that you get it done, right?" Sam leads him out of the room, leaving Jodi alone in the kitchen again to finish making their dinner.

**Sam**

* * *

Sam isn't sure how he feels about his dad coming home, yet.

Of course, he's happy that his dad's alive. If Sam had been his brother's age, he probably wouldn't have slept for the next few weeks out of sheer excitement. Sam's not actually sure that he will be able to sleep for the next few weeks; but out of fear and anxiety rather than excitement.

His dad didn't know that he was gay. His dad didn't know a lot of things about him, actually, having been gone for three years - and that's not counting all the other times his dad had been away serving in the military. His dad, he hopes, was looking forward to coming home and seeing his family again, even though it was probably going to be really weird and awkward after being apart for so long. His dad, he fears, was no longer going to want to be around Sam once he came out.

Sam's not stupid. He's pulled a lot of stupid pranks, and - according to Abigail and Sebastian - told a lot of stupid jokes, but he has common sense. He knows the military isn't exactly _welcoming _to gay people, and so he doubts that his dad will be very welcoming, either. He's not as sure about his mom, but he thinks she might be okay with it - she's been there for Sam his whole life, whereas his dad's just stepped in and out throughout it. He's a lot closer with her for sure, and he's hoping she'll still be there for him if his dad decides to emotionally step out on him for good.

He desperately wants to talk to Sebastian about all of this, but doesn't think that would be a good idea. At least, not right now; they're having a late birthday celebration with Abigail at the Saloon tonight, and Sam doesn't want to put a damper on the party.

Sam spots Abigail talking with Alex on his walk over to the Saloon. Sam's not sure what the two of them are doing together - tonight was supposed to be just the three of them.

"I didn't bring my note," he hears Alex tell her, once they reach the steps of the Saloon.

"You won't need it; a good apology comes from the heart," Abigail says, and then she shoves him through the door.

Sam quickens his pace to a run - Sebastian is not going to be pleased if Abigail shows up with Alex Mullner in tow. If he can get to the Saloon before Sebastian arrives, he can maybe talk some sense into Abigail.

He bursts into the arcade, where Abigail and Alex are seated on a couch. "Hey, Sam," Abigail says nonchalantly, as if Alex joining them for pool night was a normal occurrence. "Did you run here?"

Sam frowns at her. "What the fuck, man? You said you were temporarily ungrounded so that you could come celebrate Sebastian's birthday." He gestures at Alex. "This is not how Seb would want to celebrate."

"Bit late for a change of plans now," Abigail replies, glancing over Sam's shoulder. Sam turns to see that Sebastian's arrived, and looks as displeased as he'd expected.

"Um, Happy Birthday," Alex says to Sebastian, before Sam or Abigail can say anything.

"My birthday was two days ago," Sebastian informs him. "Abby, can I talk to you please?"

Abigail follows Sebastian back out of the arcade, leaving him alone with Alex.

"Look, I don't know why Abby brought you here-" Sam begins, but Alex cuts him off.

"I came to apologize, okay?" he begins, getting up from the couch. "I feel really bad about what happened in the spa. I shouldn't have called you guys that, it's just… it's what I used to do when the guys on my team would say that sort of shit to me. I was worried that they'd… you know, that they'd figure out that I'm actually… that like guys, too. So I thought if I joined in with the names, they wouldn't suspect anything? I know that doesn't make it okay or anything, I just wanted you to know why I said it, and that I'm sorry. I'd leave you all alone, but I think Abigail might kick my ass if I try to go?"

Sam softens considerably. "The guys on your gridball team used to call you that?"

"Sort of? They kinda used another word. The, uh, other f-word."

"Oh, sorry dude," Sam says. "That's really shitty. And, uh, I'm sorry I was kind of rude, too. I just… get really worked up when people say shit like that to Sebastian. It's not the first time he's been called that, you know?"

Alex doesn't look surprised to hear that. "Yeah," he says instead. "I mean, I'd be mad, too, if people were calling Haley rude names."

"You should really apologize to Seb, though," Sam says. "I appreciate the apology, but I'm not gonna accept it unless he does."

Abigail returns to the arcade at that moment, with a reluctant-looking Sebastian trailing along behind her. "The birthday boy has agreed to listen to your apology," she informs Alex. "It took a lot of persuading so you better make it good, Mullner."

Sebastian folds his arms over his chest, and looks expectantly at Alex. "Well?"

"We should give them some space," Abigail whispers to Sam, as she gently takes him by the arm, and tugs him towards the main bar.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sam glances back at Sebastian and Alex over his shoulder. "What if they start a fight?"

Abigail shrugs. "Alex would probably win. Seb's lost fights before; he'll be fine." They take a seat at one of the booths as they wait, and Abigail smiles at him from across the time. "Do you remember the last time he got in a fight at school? You bought him a joja cola to ice his cheek with."

"I mean, that's not really a good memory, Abby," Sam points out. "He ditched the last two periods, and I had to ditch with him to make sure he was okay."

"I just thought it was sweet," she protests. "You really care about him."

"Well yeah, I always have." He drums the table top with his fingers, and then continues. "He'd have done the same for me, I think. I know he likes to pretend like he's above having feelings, but he was really sweet this weekend."

Abigail's face lights up. "Ooh, what happened? How was his birthday? You sent me that picture and then refused to tell me anything else!"

"Well we got our piercings, went skating for a bit, and then we went back to his place for dinner. I was, um, kinda nervous. You know, about the… piercing."

Abigail winks. "Right. The piercing. Got it."

He blushes, but continues, "yeah, so I was really nervous, but he was really nice, and said we didn't have to do it if I didn't want to, and he just made me feel really comfortable about the whole thing."

"Sam that's so good!" she squeals. He shoots her a look, and she quickly lowers her voice. "So did you...?"

"Um, can we talk about this later?" Sam asks. "I mean I want to tell you, but it's kind of busy in here…"

"Of course." She nods. "How about we go and order some food, then?"

They place their usual order with Emily - an extra large pepperoni pizza, a round of beers (with a ginger ale for Sebastian), and then a second, smaller pizza in case Alex ends up joining them.

"So?" Abigail addresses Sebastian, as she enters the arcade with Sam, and four drinks. "Did you guys talk it out?"

"Yes," is all Sebastian says in response.

"_ And? _" Abigail prods.

He sighs. "We had a discussion like the mature adults that we are, I accepted his apology, and nobody got called a twink this time. Happy?"

"Great! Sam and I kinda already ordered food for the four of us, so I'm glad you worked it out."

"I see that," Sebastian replies, as Sam hands him his drink. "So he's staying, then?"

"Do you _want _him to stay?" Abigail asks. "It's your birthday."

Sebastian sets his drink down on the edge of the pool table, then shrugs. "He told me my motorcycle was cool… I guess he can stay. What do you think, Sam?"

"Again, It's your birthday," Sam repeats, "but I guess I don't mind if he stays, either." He glances over at Alex. "It pretty was cool of you to take the blame for the snowman we made. We probably would've been stuck doing community service on Seb's birthday if you and Abby hadn't stepped in. So thanks."

"Yeah," Alex replies, "it was, uh…"

"It was fucking disgusting," Abigail finishes for him. "We gutted fish for _hours _."

Alex takes a sip of his beer. "Yeah. So what did you do for your actual birthday?" he asks Sebastian. "Abigail told me you guys drove up to the city?"

"Got my septum pierced," Sebastian says.

"Oh, cool," Alex replies. "Um, what part of the ear is that?"

"It's his nose," Abigail explains. "Show us, Seb! I didn't even get to see a picture of it."

"He's not supposed to touch it," Sam protests, as Sebastian ignores him, adjusting the piercing so that Alex and Abigail can see it.

"Awesome," she says, and Alex nods even though he doesn't really look like he agrees.

The conversation drops off as Emily enters the arcade with their pizzas, and they move back to the couches to eat. "Do you like pizza?" Sam asks Alex, as he passes his boyfriend a slice.

"It's alright," Alex replies. "I usually try to eat lots of protein - like salmon, and stuff. It's okay if I take a cheat day once in a while, though… I'd never get to eat any of my grandma's cookies otherwise."

Sam eats the rest of his pizza in silence, as Abigail attempts to make some more small talk with Alex. He hadn't called his own grandmother in a while - not since he started dating Sebastian. Would she even know what being gay meant? Sam's grandma always seemed happy to hear from him, but he can't imagine that she'd be very happy to hear about his new boyfriend. She was almost as bad as his mother when it came to dropping hints about all the nice girls Sam should be trying to meet.

Sebastian leans into his side. "Are you okay?" he asks, in a quiet voice.

"I'm fine, dude," Sam replies with a smile. "Hey, Abby, what should we do next?"

"Well I doubt Alex wants to watch you guys play pool for the rest of the night," Abigail replies. "Unless you want to play in teams?"

"Nah," Sebastian says. "Sam might actually win a game, then. Can't risk letting him have that." Sam elbows him in the side.

"Well, we could play the arcade machines… ooh, or how about a game of truth or dare? We haven't played that in a while! I'll go first, if you guys want."

"Truth or dare sounds okay," Alex agrees.

"Alright Abby, I dare you to pull out one of your rocks and eat it in front of the farmer," Sebastian decides. "Unless you want to chicken out and pick truth?"

Abigail rolls her eyes. "Do you think I just go around carrying rocks in my pocket? You _know _I like to keep them under my pillow, Seb." Sebastian raises an eyebrow, and she sighs, reaching into one of her vest pockets to retrieve a handful of small, purple gems. "Do I have to actually eat one?" she asks.

"Maybe just take a bite," Sam suggests. "My little brother ate a rock once… he did not have a good time."

"Fine," Sebastian relents, "you can just take a bite, I guess... but you need to tell the farmer how delicious it is. Tell her it's the best rock you've ever tasted."

"It's the only rock I've ever tasted," she protests. Sam exchanges a look with Sebastian, and Abigail sighs again. "Okay fine, it is not the only rock I've ever tasted, but the farmer doesn't need to know that! She's gonna think I'm some freak who eats rocks… she'll never ask me out!"

"Or, maybe she'll bring you more delicious rocks from the mines," Sam adds helpfully. "You never know!"

"Whatever, she's probably already in love with Shane, anyways," Abigail groans. "Wish me luck, I guess."

They watch from the entrance of the arcade as Abigail makes her way over to the farmer - who's chatting at the bar with Emily. "Well, the farmer looks pretty weirded out," Sam comments, as Abigail puts one of the rocks in her mouth, "but Emily looks… kinda into it?"

"That's because she's fucking weird, dude," Sebastian replies. "I bet she believes in all sorts of magical bullshit about rocks. Maybe we should set her up with Abby, instead."

"She, um, has a girlfriend, actually," Alex pipes up. "Uh, have you guys ever been to the Calico Desert?" Sam nods. His dad had taken him to the desert a couple of times as a kid - but he pushes those memories to the back of his mind; he really doesn't want to think about his dad right now. "Her girlfriend lives there," Alex continues, "I think she runs a store or something? Her name's Sandy."

"Huh," Sebastian says, with a look of interest. "Hey Abby, did you know Emily has a girlfriend?" he asks, as Abigail returns to the arcade.

"Don't be such a gossip, Seb," Abigail replies. "You know that's a dangerous game… speaking of, do you want truth or dare, Alex?"

"Um, dare, I guess," Alex replies.

Abigail smirks at him. "Hmm, well I dare you to…" she glances back at the main bar "go ask Gus for a shot glass, and a bottle of his special hot sauce. And maybe a glass of milk, depending on how much heat you think you can handle."

Alex does as he's told, and returns with the requested shot glass and sauce. Abigail pours the shot for him, and Alex pounds it back. Well, he tries to - Gus' hot sauce is pretty thick, and it takes a minute for him to drain the glass.

"Fuck, man." Alex reaches for his pint glass, and chugs what's left of his beer. "That's way worse than licking a rock."

"If you think that's bad, the last time I picked dare they made me to lick the joystick on the Prairie King machine," Sam says. "I was sick for like, three whole weeks after that."

The four of them turn to look at the machine, and Alex's brow furrows as he studies it. "Why do all the high-scores say 'ASS'?" he asks.

"It's our initials," Sam explains. "Seb and Abby used to fight over having the top score, so we had to compromise and put all three of our names. Except you can only enter three letters, so…"

"We were fourteen," Abigail adds, looking a little embarrassed.

"Oh, okay," Alex says. He turns back to Sam. "Um, truth or dare, Sam?"

"Truth," Sam decides.

Alex stuffs his hands in the pockets of his varsity jacket, and stares up at the ceiling as he thinks for a moment. "Uh, are you… dating anyone?"

Sam hesitates. Lying seems like a bad idea. Sure, it's not like Sebastian and Abigail would rat him out - they'd understand why… but what if Alex already knows the truth? He'd still been in the maze when Sam had kissed Sebastian. Maybe he's already figured out what happened, and is just asking to see if it's true.

"Yeah," Sam replies. Alex's eyes flicker between him and Sebastian, and Sam braces himself for the inevitable 'so who is it?', but Alex doesn't question him any further.

Instead, he nods. "Cool."

Relieved, Sam quickly diverts the focus to Sebastian. "What about you, Seb? Dare or dare?"

They play a couple more rounds of truth or dare, and Sam sticks to picking dares for the remainder of the game. He's forced to dump the remaining ice in his drink down the front of his pants, but it's better than having to field another question about his love life… or go up to Harvey and take a swig of his beer, which Sebastian gets dared to do.

"Well thanks," Sebastian says to Abigail, once he's completed his dare, "now I have an appointment with him next Thursday. He wouldn't put his stupid beer down until I asked him to check if he had any free slots at the clinic."

Abigail grins. "Hope it was a refreshing sip, then. Maybe it was even the most delicious beer you've ever tasted?"

"I fucking hate beer," Sebastian mutters. "Whose turn is it?"

"I should probably get going, actually," Alex says, checking the time on his phone. "I don't usually stay out this late… my grandma's probably getting worried. Um, thanks for letting me hang out tonight. Maybe I'll see you guys around some time?"

"Perhaps," Abigail agrees. She shoots Sam and Sebastian a look.

"I appreciated the apology," Sam tells him. Sebastian doesn't say anything, but he nods along. Sam thinks it'll be a while before Alex gets invited over for a game of Solarian Chronicles, or to sit in on a jam session, the the possibility of having another night at the Saloon was looking good.

Abigail waits until Alex leaves before rounding on the two of them. "So, I think you guys owe me some more date details."

"You guys owe me some date details."

"You brought Alex Mullner to my birthday party; I owe you nothing," Sebastian replies.

"Sam already promised me some earlier," Abigail informs him. "So tell me everything, Sam... was there any dual-wiener action?"

"Yoba, Abby," Sebastian groans, "don't call it that. You've just killed all my future boners for the next year."

"I highly doubt that," Abigail says. "Also, gross; I don't want to think about your boners, Seb."

Sebastian rolls his eyes. "Maybe don't ask us questions about our sex life, then."

"So you _do _have one, and something _did _happen," Abigail concludes. "I _knew _it. You guys are horrible at being subtle, you know that? Nobody has seven sleepovers in a two week period without hooking up at _least _once."

"I mean, we didn't… go all the way, if that's what you think," Sam replies. "There was just, uh-"

"Some hand-holding in bed? A chaste kiss on the cheek? A soft hug, perhaps?" Abigail smirks at him. "_ Right _. Got it." She glances at her phone, and sighs. "Okay, as much as I'd love to stick around and continue teasing you guys, I do actually have to get going. I'm still very grounded, and my dad's probably going to come looking for me any minute now. Happy belated Birthday, Seb!"

"So, do you want to play a round of pool or something?" Sam asks Sebastian, once the two of them are alone in the arcade.

He shrugs. "Actually, I was thinking we could maybe just head back to my place."

"That sounds good, except I think Abigail has a point? My mom's starting to get really suspicious of all the sleepovers we've been having... so maybe we shouldn't."

"Maybe you could sneak me into your room again?" Sebastian suggests. "I was just thinking there's a bit more privacy in my bedroom…"

Sam's got a pretty good idea of what Sebastian wants the extra privacy for, and it's too good of an offer to turn down. "You're right," he agrees, "Let's go to your place, then." Sebastian grins at him, before leaning in for a kiss.

Sam could always just sneak back into his own bedroom in the morning.


	3. Head Over Heels

**Robin**

* * *

Robin's not quite as clueless as her son seems to think she is. Sure, she might not know everything that goes on in her children's lives, but it's not hard to pick up on most of it.

Smell was usually a dead giveaway, for example. No amount of air freshener or gum had covered the smoky scent that lingered on Sebastian's clothes, or his breath when he'd first started smoking cigarettes. Similarly, he'd failed the mask the skunky smell of the ash tray he kept in his room, and it hadn't been very hard for Robin to figure out what that was – her husband _was _a biologist, after all.

It was difficult to detect a strong scent after being surrounded by it for so long, and so Robin wonders if Sebastian's even noticed that lately, he's started to smell a little like Sam's favourite cologne.

"Did you borrow that shirt from Sam?" she asks him one night, as he joins her on the couch with his laptop. Sebastian didn't normally work outside of his bedroom, but she'd asked him for help putting together an anniversary surprise for Demetrius.

Sebastian frowns, glancing down at it. "Uh, no? It's one he bought me for my birthday, though."

"Oh, that must be it," she replies, and Sebastian raises an eyebrow. "I thought it smelled a little like his cologne," Robin explains.

"Yeah, maybe," he mumbles, as he zips his hoodie up over the shirt. "Anyways, I finished scanning in all those pictures you gave me," he opens up his laptop, and passes it to her, "and they're all saved on this USB drive here." He plugs the stick into the side of the laptop, and a window opens on the screen. "So now you can print more copies of them, or make slideshow, or whatever you want to do with them."

"How do I see the pictures? Do I click on this?" Robin asks, frowning at pop up on the screen.

"Yeah, just click the 'OK' button. Don't touch anything else." She selects the option, and a window opens to display several folders. "I sorted them all into folders," Sebastian explains, "so this one has your wedding pictures, and this one is Maru's baby pictures and stuff, and then this one is mine…"

With Sebastian's help, Robin navigates into the folder with his childhood photos, and starts clicking through the photos. "Oh Sebby, look at this one!" she exclaims, upon opening a picture of him at eight years old, proudly holding out a frog in a bucket. She looks away from the screen to smile at him. "I miss your red hair. And your freckles!"

Sebastian doesn't look like he misses having red hair, or freckles. "That was a really long time ago," he replies.

"I know," Robin sighs. She resumes scrolling through the pictures, pausing once again when she reaches a picture of Sebastian – now ten years old – on the playground with Sam. "Oh, and this one! Do you remember your first playdate with Sam? You were so shy!"

"I'm pretty sure you were more excited about that playdate than I was," Sebastian says.

"Oh, I don't know," Robin teases, "it took you a little bit to warm up to the idea, but I distinctly remember that you started crying when I told you it was time to go home."

He blushes. "I was like, ten, Mom. How do you even remember that?"

Robin smiles to herself as she clicks through a couple more pictures. She stops again at one of Sebastian, Sam, and Abigail seated around a game of Solarian Chronicles, and Sebastian groans.

"Yoba, we look ridiculous," he complains. "Abigail's got raccoon eyeliner, and half my forehead is stained black from that awful Joja hair dye."

"Of course you do, everyone looks ridiculous when they're that age," Robin says with a laugh. "Oh, and look at Sam's hair... this must have been taken after he tried to cut it himself."

Sebastian cracks a tiny smile. "I'd almost forgotten about that."

"You're all growing up so fast!" Robin says, as she reaches the end of the folder. She closes it with a sigh. "I wish I had more photos of you… you never liked having your picture taken."

"I might have some on my phone… let me check." She waits as he pulls up the gallery on his phone, and swipes through a couple of the pictures. "Uh, here," he says, "from my birthday the other day."

Robin eagerly takes the phone from him, and pinches the screen to zoom in. It's a sweet picture of the two boys standing in front of a decorated tree – Sam's got his arms around Sebastian, and Sebastian's got a genuine smile on his face. "Aww Sebby, you look so happy!" she coos.

Sebastian shifts uncomfortably on the couch. "If you let me have that back I'll send it to you," he promises, holding out his hand.

"Good idea!" Robin passes his phone back, and Sebastian quickly pockets it. "Do you have any other pictures with Sam? Or Abby?"

"Uh, I dunno, I guess I could ask Sam? He's the one who likes that sort of stuff." He pulls at the drawstrings on his hoodie. "I was actually thinking of heading over there now, if that's okay."

"Now?" She glances over her shoulder at the clock. "Dinner's going to be soon... you're not going to eat with us?"

"Uh, no," he answers. "I'll just eat something later. I mean, if that's alright."

"That's fine," she agrees, reaching out to ruffle his hair. Sebastian shifts back on the couch so that he's out of her reach. "You and Sam have been spending a lot of time together lately, huh?"

"Yeah..." He tucks a section of hair behind his ear. "We, uh… we've been working on a lot of stuff for the band, you know? And Sam loses focus whenever we stop to take a break, so sometimes it's just easier if I crash at his place. "

"Of course, I don't mind," Robin assures him. "You know I'm always happy to see you spending time with your friends, right? Especially Sam… he's _such _a nice boy," she continues, and Sebastian nods as he moves to get up from the couch. Robin hesitates for a moment, and then adds, "he's kind of cute, don't you think?"

Sebastian slowly sinks back into the couch. "I'm sorry, _what _?"

"I was just thinking about all those old photos we were looking at, and he grew up very handsome, didn't he?" she asks, with a slight smile.

He stares back at her with a look of horror, and an increasingly red face. "Mom, no," he pleads, "just… no. Please stop talking. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I'm sorry, okay?"

Robin laughs. "I'm only teasing! It's just… you and Sam are so close, you almost seem like a couple sometimes. Like in that picture just you showed me!"

"We're just really good friends, Mom," Sebastian insists. "That's all."

"I believe you!" she promises him. "But... if you were dating someone, you'd tell me, right?"

He sighs, and pulling at a loose thread on the hem of his sleeve. "Yes, Mom."

She reaches over to squeeze one of his shoulders. "That's good. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Sebastian sighs again. "_ Yes _, Mom." Robin decides she should probably leave the conversation there.

"Well, thank you for helping me with these photos, Sebby! Let me know if Sam has any other pictures, okay? It would be nice to have more photos of you up around the house."

He nods. "I'll see you later," Sebastian says, getting up from the couch.

"I'll save you some leftovers!" she calls after him, as he heads for the living room door.

Sebastian's laptop is left sitting on the coffee table, and Robin stares at it a moment. This time, it's not just the smell that tells her there's something new going on in her son's life – it's the way he blushes whenever she mentions Sam, the increasing amount of time they seem to be spending together, and now the picture from his birthday – where Sebastian looks happier than she's seen him in years, with Sam's arms around him.

She wants to believe that he's telling her the truth when he says that he doesn't think of Sam as anything more than a friend… but after their talk today, she's starting to suspect that he's hiding something from her again.

**Sebastian**

* * *

"Hi!" Sam chirps as he opens the front door. He shoots a look over his shoulder, before pulling Sebastian in for a quick kiss. "Did you have dinner?"

"Nah," he replies, as he follows Sam into the house, "decided I'd rather hang out with you."

Sam stops and frowns at him. "Seb! You can't just skip dinner to spend time with me!"

"Wasn't that hungry anyways," Sebastian says with a shrug. "Don't worry about me."

"No," Sam decides. "Unacceptable. What if I made you some food? I can make, um… some eggs? Do you wanted fried or scrambled? I don't actually know _how _to make scrambled eggs, but I'm sure I can figure it ou-"

Sebastian groans. "Dude, the last time you tried to make some eggs you dropped them on the floor, and then made me take the blame."

"You know how my mom is about messes!" Sam protests. "Okay, what if I made a frozen pizza?"

"Pizza is fine, I guess," he agrees. "Thanks."

Sam leads him into the kitchen, where Jodi's wiping down the countertop. Sebastian's about to suggest that he just grab something to eat at the Saloon, but Sam interrupts her before he can say anything.

"Hey Mom? Sebastian didn't have anything for dinner, so I was just going to make him a frozen pizza. Is that okay?"

Sam's mom doesn't look too stoked about it, but she nods. "Do you mind cleaning up when you're done then, Sam? I've still got some vacuuming I need to do tonight."

"Of course," Sam agrees, as he starts digging through their freezer.

Jodi gives Sebastian a sympathetic look as she removes her rubber gloves. "Is everything alright at home, Sebastian?" she asks.

"Oh, yeah. I just lost track of time while working," he lies. This wasn't the first time he'd come to Sam's house for dinner after skipping a family meal at his own – though usually it was to escape Demetrius, or an argument Sebastian had started.

"Four cheese, or pepperoni, Seb?" Sam interjects.

"I dunno," he replies, as Jodi leaves the kitchen. "Pepperoni, I guess."

The pizza takes twenty minutes to cook, which Sam spends telling him about the farmer. "She's just been giving everyone around town a bunch of gifts lately; I can't figure her out. Like she always comes into Joja Mart to give Shane stuff, and Abigail says she's given her a bunch of rocks from the mines, but then I also saw her give Leah a salad... it's like she's trying to woo the whole town, or something."

"A salad?" Sebastian repeats.

"Yeah dude, like a take-out salad from the Saloon? It was weird... I mean, who gives _salad _as a gift?"

Sebastian shrugs. "She's weird; everyone in this town is. What kind of person willingly moves to Pelican Town, anyways? Of all the places you could choose..."

"Hey, my family moved here," Sam protests, as he peers inside the oven to check on the pizza.

"Well that wasn't exactly your choice, you moved here when you were like... ten. Besides, you're probably the weirdest of us all, you know that?" he teases.

"Yeah, according to _you _," Sam retorts. "I've heard there's a rumour that you're actually related to that weird old dude who lives in the tower. You have to be pretty fucking weird for people to think that." He opens one of the overhead cupboards, and passes Sebastian a plastic plate with a junimo on it.

Sebastian rolls his eyes. "Oh, obviously. Why do you think I always pick the wizard in Solarian Chronicles? It's clearly my _destiny _."

Sam laughs. "I've also heard that Abigail's secretly his daughter, so who knows."

"People in this town really have nothing better to do than gossip," Sebastian replies, as if though he and Sam hadn't spent the past twenty minutes doing just that.

"Seriously." Sam joins him at the kitchen table with the pizza, and divides it up between the two of them.

"I thought this was my pizza," Sebastian says, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I _did _make it," Sam argues, as if he'd spent the night labouring over it. "Also, we had lentil soup tonight, so I'm still kinda hungry. I can only eat so much of it, you know? And Vincent hates it so he barely eats any, and then we have leftovers for days…" Sam trails off with a sigh. "I mean, I guess that won't be a problem anymore next year."

Sebastian frowns as he thinks back over his last few conversations with Sam, trying to remember if Sam had said anything about the upcoming year. "Why, what's happening next year?" he asks when he can't come up with anything.

"Oh! I meant to tell you, but I couldn't find a good time to do it? Anyways… my dad's coming back."

Sebastian takes tiny bites of his pizza as he considers this new information. "Yeah?"

Sam nods. "My mom and I found out last week. I still don't really know how I feel about it yet... I mean, I'm glad he's okay and all, but... I dunno." He stares down at his pizza. "What if he's different? I've been waiting all these years for him to come back... what if when he does, he doesn't feel like my dad anymore? Or what if I tell him about us, and he doesn't want to _be _my dad anymore?"

Sebastian reaches across the table to take Sam's hand in his own, and they sit in silence for a moment as he thinks about his next words carefully. "I can't tell you the answers, Sam," he begins. "I don't know, either. But I can tell you that no matter what happens, I'm gonna be here for you, okay?" He squeezes Sam's hand.

"Thanks, Sebby," Sam says, squeezing his hand back. "It's just given me a lot to think about, you know? Like when I should tell him – if I should even tell him, and if I do, what I'm even going to say." He lets go of Sebastian's hand, and picks up his pizza again. "And I feel like it won't matter anyway, because I just can't see him being okay with it." He sighs. "I don't know."

"It's okay not to know, Sam," Sebastian reassures him. "I have no idea what the hell I'm doing half the time, believe me. And yeah, it's probably going to take some time to adjust to him being back; it took me years to adjust to having a new step dad, and you know how _that _turned out. But... we have each other, and that's the important thing, right? You've always had my back, and I want you to know that I'll have yours, even if everything goes to shit, and we have to... I dunno, run away and live in a cave in the desert, or something."

He really wasn't sure where he was going with that, but it makes Sam laugh, and that's all that matters to Sebastian. "I bet Abigail would join us. She's all about that cave life," Sam jokes.

"Oh, for sure," he agrees. Sebastian picks up his pizza again. "Um, not to change the subject, but have you picked out a Winter Star gift for her yet? I meant to do that weeks ago, but I was kind of... distracted."

Sam swears quietly under his breath. "...No, and it's going to take _weeks _to order something. _Shit _."

"We could always buy her one of Marnie's special chickens," Sebastian deadpans. "Only eight hundred gold; that's a steal."

"What about the night market?" Sam suggests. "That's coming to town tomorrow, I bet we could find her something there." He glances at the entrance to the kitchen, and then lowers his voice so that it's just barely audible over the sound of his mother vacuuming. "Might make a nice date, too."

"That does sound nice," Sebastian agrees. "Is Monday okay?"

Sam leans over to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Can't wait." He picks up his pizza again. "Now hurry up and eat your food," he says. in between several large bites. "The sooner we finish, the sooner we can cuddle."

* * *

Robin's still working at her counter when Sebastian emerges from his room to meet up with Sam, and he braces himself for a round of questions as he walks past her desk.

She glances up from her blueprints, and Sebastian gives her a half-hearted wave. "Hey, Sebby," she calls out, as he zips his motorcycle jacket up over his hoodie. "Going out for a drive?"

"Uh, no, I was going out for a walk, actually. Sam and I were going to check out the night market."

"Ooh, that sounds nice," she replies. "I've been meaning to head down there and take a look around some time. I've still got some gift shopping to do..."

Sebastian nods, before glancing at the front door, then back at her. After a moment of hesitation, he decides to take a risk, and try spending a little more time with his mother. Up until she started teasing him, he'd been having an okay time looking at photos together. "Um, I was wondering… did you want to walk down with me, maybe? Or are you busy working?"

She looks pleasantly surprised by his question. "Oh! Yes, I'd love to!" She rolls up her blueprints, and grabs her coat off a nearby hook, moving as if though she's worried he'll leave without her if she takes too long. "Ready to go?"

As he predicted, spending time with his mom is actually kind of nice when she's not ask him embarrassing questions about Sam. By the time he's finished telling her about his latest programming project, they've almost reached the docks, and Sebastian can see Sam pacing along the old wooden boards in the distance.

"I'm not sure how long I'm staying, do you want me to wait for you?" Robin asks, as they cross the cobblestone bridge linking the town and the beach.

"Oh, that's okay, I might just sleep over at Sam's," he replies. "Don't really feel like walking all the way back up to the mountains at midnight."

"Alright! I'll let you know when I'm about to head home, then."

"Hey dude! Ready for some gift shopping?" Sam calls out to Sebastian, as they step onto the dock. He looks like he wants to pull Sebastian into a hug, but after a quick glance at Robin, Sam sticks his hands in his jacket pockets instead. "Are you joining us tonight?" he asks, flashing her a polite smile.

"Oh, no, I'm just here to browse on my own," she replies. "Sebastian offered to walk down with me. I'll see you boys later!"

"Wow, look at you being social," Sam teases, elbowing Sebastian in the side. "Do you want to grab some coffee first? Don't want you to be tired from all that talking."

Sebastian rolls his eyes. "Just for that, I'm stealing your free coffee."

"I'd like to see you try," Sam scoffs, as they set off towards the end of the pier. "Just because I didn't push you in the water during the moonlight jellies doesn't mean I won't do it tonight."

"No you won't," Sebastian counters.

"Of course I won't," Sam agrees with a laugh, "then I'd have to hop in and fish your dumb ass back out again."

Once they're each armed with a steaming cup of coffee, they survey the boats dotting the docks. "Where should we start?" Sebastian asks.

Sam takes a sip of his drink, and winces. "I dunno, maybe we should walk around a bit first?" he suggests, before blowing on his coffee. "See what's worth checking out."

The glowing fairy lights strung overhead have cast a pink hue over the pier, and all of the boats tied up along the docks, bobbing gently with the waves. They pass by a small blue ship with hand painted stars, and a long green boat with a deck full of delicate vases.

They debate buying Abigail a full suit of armour from a shadowy vendor with glowing pink eyes, but settle on picking up a couple sticks of rock candy from a purple caravan manned by a woman with green hair, and a floating pig.

"There, now she has some rocks she can actually eat," Sam says. "Anything else you wanted to look at, Seb?"

"Nah… unless you wanted to check out the mermaid show," Sebastian replies, with a small smirk.

"Definitely not," Sam decides.

They spend another thirty minutes walking around the docks, before they find themselves on the pier by the rock pools. It's a little quieter over there, and the two of them are able to sit and enjoy the atmosphere without being disturbed by any of the other villagers.

Sebastian lets his head rest against Sam's shoulder, and Sam leans in to press a kiss to his forehead. "Remember the moonlight jellies?" he murmurs to Sam.

"Yeah." Sam's silent for a moment. "I really wanted to kiss you then," he admits. "I spent all night trying to work up the courage…"

"Hey," Sebastian says, as Sam trails off, "you've got the perfect chance now, right?"He looks up at Sam, and Sam smiles back at him, before leaning in for a kiss. He brings a hand up to cup Sebastian's jaw, and Sebastian only pulls back once his phone starts buzzing in his pocket.

"Your mom?" Sam asks, squinting at the bright screen in the dark.

"Yeah, she just wanted to let me know she's leaving now." He flicks the screen off, and turns back to Sam. "I guess it's a good thing she didn't decide to come looking for us herself… can you imagine?"

"Yoba… that would have been a way to come out," Sam replies. He glances over at the main dock. "Would you like to come back to my place? As nice as this is, I think it'd be even nicer if we had a little more privacy."

"Definitely," Sebastian agrees, but not before leaning in for one more kiss.


	4. The Way Old Friends Do

**Caroline**

* * *

"Wow, Jodi – I don't think I've ever seen you do that many reps in one session!" Robin exclaims.

"Well you know how it is," Jodi replies, as she eases into one of the chairs around Caroline's kitchen table, "the older you get, the more work you have to do to stay healthy."

"True," Caroline agrees, "but with the big Winter Star feast coming up, I think I might just pick up the slack after the holidays."

Jodi fans herself with a napkin. "I know it's not the best time to try to get back in shape, but there's so little time before the new year… I just thought it might be best to get a head start now, you know?"

"Don't most people wait until _after _the new year to start making fitness resolutions?" Robin asks, as she helps herself to a muffin. "I think you've earned a bit of a break."

"Well, I may have also been feeling a little extra inspired to look good lately," Jodi admits.

"It's definitely working," Caroline replies, and Robin nods in agreement. "So…" she continues, with a sly smile, "where exactly _did _all this newfound inspiration come from?"

"I meant to tell you sooner but… Kent's coming back," Jodi begins, twisting the napkin between her fingers. "I... Well I got the notice that he was being discharged a while ago, but I didn't know if that was going to change. You've seen the news, right? It's just awful." Caroline puts a hand on Jodi's forearm, and she takes a breath before continuing. "But then I got another letter, from Kent this time, and it sounds like it's really happening."

Caroline gives Jodi's arm a light squeeze. "Oh, Jodi, that's so good to hear!"

She nods, her face finally relaxing into a smile. "I'm so relieved he's coming back. I mean, I'm a little nervous too; he mentioned he might be a little… different in his letter."

"I'm sure he just wanted you to know that he might need a bit of time to readjust," Robin assures her, "and so that you can prepare the boys, too."

"Right. I haven't told Vincent yet, actually," Jodi continues. "I thought it might be a nice surprise for him… that, and I'm not sure he'd be able to sleep for the rest of the year if he knew."

Robin laughs.

"And Sam?" Caroline asks. "Does he know yet?"

Jodi nods again. "He opened Kent's letter with me. I'm not sure how he feels about Kent coming back yet, but I think it'll be good for him to have his dad home again… he just hasn't had much of a male role model to look up to without him, you know?" She untwists her napkin again, before setting it down on the table. "Maybe he'd have a bit more interest in girls if he had someone he could go to for advice."

For a moment there's an uncomfortable silence around the table. Robin is the first to break it. "Well, we'll have to have you and Kent over for dinner some night once he's back!"

"That would be lovely, Robin," Jodi agrees.

"Have you got a lot left to do before he gets home?" Caroline asks.

"Well, a lot of cleaning still, but that's always the case in my house. Sometimes I wonder if the house would be a little cleaner if I'd raised two girls instead…" she says, with a wistful look.

Caroline smirks. "Oh, I don't know about that… Abigail's room usually looks like a tornado hit it – and the things she leaves lying around the house! I swear, I'm going to break my neck one day tripping over those boots of hers." She pushes her chair back from the table with a sigh, and glances between her two friends. "Would anyone like some tea? I was thinking of making myself a cup."

"Oh, no thank you," Jodi replies. "I should probably get going, actually… I promised Vincent we could bake some cookies today."

Robin waves to Jodi before turning back to Caroline. "I'll take some tea, if you don't mind."

She taps her foot against the wooden table leg as Caroline measures out two spoonfuls of loose green tea leaves for their cups, and sets the kettle on the burner to boil. She seems lost in thought when Caroline finally returns to the table with two steaming cups of tea – her chin propped up on one fist, and her gaze fixed on something outside the kitchen window.

"Something on your mind, Robin?" Caroline asks, setting one of the cups down in front of her.

"A couple things," Robin answers, reaching for her cup. "Holiday shopping, some new plans for the farmer…" she trails off for a few moments, before looking up at Caroline, "and I didn't want to bring it up again while Jodi was here, but I keep thinking about what you said the other week, too."

Caroline blows gently on her tea as she thinks back to their conversation last week. "About Sam and Sebastian?" she asks.

Robin nods. "I think you might be right – I think he likes Sam," she says, with a tiny smile. "I was teasing him the other night while we were looking at some old pictures together – little comments about how Sam's kind of cute, you know? And he was _blushing _, Caroline."

Caroline raises an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything else in response.

"He told me they were just friends, of course, but I just had this nagging feeling that there was something more going on," Robin continues. "So, I tried to tell him that he could talk to me about anything, and he promised me that if he _were _dating someone, he'd tell me."

"Well that's a start, right?" she replies.

"I thought it was. Last night he asked me if I wanted to walk down to the night market with him, and I thought I had really made some progress with him. I can't remember the last time he asked me to do something with him, Caroline! We had a nice chat on the way down, he met up with Sam on the beach, and I left to do my shopping." Robin pauses for a moment, and her smile fades. "Once I was done I tried to find Sebastian to let him know that I was leaving, and when I did… well, it looked like they were kissing."

"It looked like they were kissing?" Caroline repeats. "Or they _were _kissing?"

"I think so. I don't know," Robin admits, staring down at her full cup of tea. "It was pretty dark… and I didn't want to interrupt them if they were, so I just sent him a text message to tell him I was heading back home."

"Hmmm. Well, what time did he get back?"

"He didn't – he spent the rest of the night at Sam's..." She pauses again, and then continues, "and now that I've said that aloud, it really does sound like there might be something more going on, and I think it might have been going on for while now." Robin sighs. "I don't know. Do you think I'm reading into things too much? Or do you think he might be hiding something from me still?"

Caroline takes a sip of her tea as she considers all this. She's almost certain at this point that Sam and Sebastian are crushing on each other, if not already dating. She just doesn't think it's her place to tell Robin that. "I think it's a possibility," she answers. "I think you really need to let Sebastian tell you himself."

"I'm trying to be patient, I really am. It's just… it breaks my heart knowing that if he _is _gay, he still feels like it's something he has to hide from me," she says with a quiet sniffle. "And I don't know what else I can do to let him know that it's okay."

Caroline reaches over to give her friend's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. "You're a good mom, Robin. I know you're trying your best, and I think all you can do at this point is wait, and let him open up to you when he's ready – about whatever it is that he might be keeping from you. He might be gay… or he might be bi, or he might be struggling with something else entirely."

"You're right," Robin says, wiping at her eyes. "Thanks, Caroline."

**Abigail**

* * *

"We're not open today," Abigail's dad reminds her, as she swipes the key for the shop doors from the front counter.

"I know, but Sam and Sebastian are coming over to hang out," Abigail replies. "Mom said it was okay," she adds, when her dad makes a face. "We're just going to make a gingerbread house, maybe watch a movie, exchange some gifts... the usual holiday stuff." Winter Star was still a week away, but they'd had a tradition of doing their own little gift exchange in advance for a few years now.

Her dad exhales loudly. "Well, try not to clear out the snack aisle this time, please. I don't order this food for you and your friends, you know."

They'd only taken a few bags of chips, and a case of the shitty, off-brand soda her dad likes to carry, but Abigail doesn't think that's worth arguing over. "Yes, Dad."

"One more thing," he says, as she turns to leave. He scribbles something down on a scrap of paper, and hands it to her. "Can you post this on the bulletin outside?"

"I guess," she agrees with a sigh. Abigail doubts anyone will actually read it. She pads over to the front door – still dressed in her pajamas, and a pair of slippers – and unlocks it, before slipping out to pin up the note. "Fucking shit," she mutters under her breath, as she fumbles with one of the thumbtacks, nearly dropping it into the slushy snow that's gathered underneath the board.

"Chilly today, isn't it?" she hears a familiar voice call out to her.

She turns around to find the farmer standing behind her. Abigail is suddenly very aware of the fact that she's not wearing a bra underneath her pajama shirt.

"Yeah, I guess I'm a little underdressed," she replies, folding her arms over her chest.

The farmer laughs. "Well, maybe if you're lucky someone will knit you a nice scarf for Winter Star," she jokes. "Have you got your secret gift all picked out yet?"

"I might," Abigail replies. "You?"

"I haven't quite decided what I'm going to give yet," the farmer answers, adjusting her well-worn blue backpack that looks as if it's stuffed to the seams. "I'm thinking I might whip up a little something special in my new kitchen, though. I'd tell you what I'm making, but that might ruin the surprise!"

"Well, we can't have that," Abigail agrees. "Has Robin been doing some more work on the farm, then?"

"She has! She's actually working on some plans for a cabin at the moment – have I told you that I've got a cousin moving to the valley in the spring?" The farmer doesn't wait for her to answer. "He'll be living on the farm with me – in his own little cabin, of course. I've just been growing so much on the farm that it's a lot to handle, you know? It'll be good to have an extra set of hands to help out with it all."

"Yeah, I can imagine." She rubs her hands up and down her arms as she tries to think of something more interesting to add.

"Oh, I should let you get back inside!" The farmer says before Abigail can. "It's much too cold for you to be standing out here like that!"

As much as Abigail would like to stay and chat, she's shivering too much to protest. "It's a bit nippy, yeah," she agrees. Ugh, nippy? Gross. "I'll see you around, then? Maybe when I'm not wearing my pajamas?"

The farmer laughs again. "That sounds like a plan." She gives Abigail a tiny smile before she turns to leave. "They're very cute, though!"

After waving goodbye to the farmer, Abigail returns to the warmth of the store with her arms covered in goosebumps, and a red face that can't be blamed _entirely _on the cold. She's got just enough time to throw on some proper clothes before the shop doors chime, announcing that someone's arrived.

"Holy shit, did you guys actually sleep in your own beds for once?" Abigail asks, when she finds Sebastian standing in the entrance of the store, alone.

"We had to," he replies, leaning back against a wooden crate that's stocked with potatoes. "I think my mom's started to catch on... the other night, she tried to ask me if I thought Sam was cute." The bell over the front door chimes, and Sebastian casts a nervous glance over his shoulder, relaxing visibly when he sees it's just Sam.

"Well?" Abigail prompts.

"Well what?" Sam asks, as he kicks his boots against the frame of the door to rid them of snow.

Abigail smirks. "Apparently Robin wants to know if Sebastian thinks you're cute."

Sam turns to look at Sebastian. "And?"

"Well obviously I didn't tell her anything."

"Okay, but do you?" Sam tries again.

"Do I what? Do I think you're cute?" he asks. Sam nods, and Sebastian goes pink as he mumbles something incoherent in response.

"Okay, I think that's enough flirting for now," Abigail interjects, as Sam moves to pull Sebastian into a kiss. "You guys do realize you're standing in front of a glass door, right?"

"Right," Sebastian agrees, as he takes a step backwards, almost losing his balance as he stumbles into the crate of potatoes.

They follow her out of the shop and into the kitchen, where she turns the radio on to a channel playing through a loop of holiday songs. "You guys ready to make the best gingerbread house ever?"

"From scratch?" Sam asks, as she digs through one of the kitchen cupboards.

"From a kit," Abigail answers. "I thought about making it from scratch, but I was worried that might be a bit too advanced for you two." She plops the box down on the table. "This seemed a little more age appropriate."

Sebastian frowns at the box. "This says it's for kids ages six and up."

Abigail smirks. "Exactly."

Sam reaches for the box anyways, ripping it open, and dumping the contents out on the kitchen table. "I don't know why you have to open everything like a wild animal," Sebastian comments, as the three of them begin to tear into the smaller packages of candy, icing, and gingerbread squares.

"That's disrespectful to wild animals, Seb," Abigail replies. "I've seen raccoons open boxes more carefully than Sam."

"Are you sure you weren't just looking in a mirror, though?" Sebastian asks, with a smirk of his own. "I could see how it might be hard to tell the difference."

Abigail gives him a stern look. "Watch it mister, or I'll have to return your Winter Star gift." She pops a peppermint in her mouth. "Gotta admit, that was a pretty decent burn, though."

"Here," Sam says, handing her a packet of icing, "some ice for your burn."

"Well at least _someone _here deserves to get his present this year." She pipes the icing along the edge of two gingerbread cookies, and press them together to start the base of their house. "Speaking of gifts, guess who I got assigned for Winter Star this year."

"Oh, did you get the farmer?" Sam asks.

"Nope. Shane." She makes a face. "I haven't even picked out a gift for him. I mean, what would I even get him, other than a case of beer?" Abigail sighs. "Who did you two get?"

"Well, Seb got Jas, and I got Elliott-" Sam begins, pausing to eat a handful of gummies.

"-so we went down to the night market and got some candy for Jas, and some fancy calligraphy pen for Elliott," Sebastian says, finishing Sam's sentence.

Abigail pouts. "You guys did your gift shopping without me?"

"You've been grounded for ages!" Sam argues through a mouthful of candy.

"I wouldn't have gotten grounded if I hadn't _selflessly _taken the fall for the snowman, so that you two could go on your dorky little birthday date!" She adds a third piece of cookie to the house. "I hope you guys made it to third base, at least. Please don't tell me I gutted fish for five hours so that you two could hold hands in bed and then share a soft hug."

"It was definitely worth it, if that's what you want to hear," Sebastian replies.

"What I'm hearing is that you guys definitely did _not _make it to third base."

Sebastian raises an eyebrow. "Yeah? Well how far have you gotten with the farmer, then?"

"Nowhere," Abigail admits with a groan. "I did talk to her today, though. Sort of."

"How do you _sort of _talk to someone?" Sebastian asks. Sam elbows him.

"Well, she ran into me outside the shop in the snow, while I was still in my pajamas, and I wasn't even wearing a bra, so it definitely could have gone better." She twirls a strand of hair around her finger. "I guess it's still a start, though."

"Maybe she didn't notice?" Sam politely suggests.

"It could be worse. At least you didn't eat a rock in front of her this time," Sebastian teases.

Abigail groans again. "Great, thanks for that reminder, Seb."

"It's probably a good sign that she stopped to chat, though," Sebastian continues. "If she thought you were a weirdo, she probably would have tried to avoid you instead, right?"

"I guess you've got a point." Abigail pops another mint into her mouth. "She did tell me that my pajamas were cute."

"See?" Sam smiles at her. "That _is _a good start. Plus, if seeing you in your pajamas is enough to make her not like you, she's probably not someone you would want to date, anyways."

"Yeah," Sebastian agrees. "Look at Sam, for example – I've seen pretty much every embarrassing thing Sam's ever done since he was ten years old, and I'm still into him."

"Which is impressive," Abigail agrees, "considering how many embarrassing things Sam has done."

Sam frowns. "Hey."

Sebastian grins at him. "Like that time he tried to fit into the stupid kiddie swing at the park, and got stuck."

"And your mom practically had to take the whole swing set apart to get him free!" Abigail adds with a laugh. "Oh, or what about that that time he cried at your eleventh birthday party because-"

"Okay yes, I think we all get the point," Sam interjects. Sebastian placates him with a kiss on the cheek.

"So, are we done with our masterpiece?" Abigail asks, as she studies their gingerbread house. It's a bit lopsided, and she's pretty sure that only half the candy decorations actually made it onto the house, but at least nobody had tried to frost a dick on it.

Sebastian reaches for the last bag of frosting. "I dunno, I think it's missing something."

"We are not icing a dick on it, Seb."

"It's perfect, then," Sebastian decides, setting the bag back down. "Should we do some presents now?"

They abandon the gingerbread house on the kitchen table - along with all the empty packets and wrappers - and move to the great room, settling down in front of the fireplace. Abigail grabs the silver package she'd stowed away on the mantle, while Sam digs through his backpack.

"You guys didn't bring gifts for each other?" she asks, when Sam produces a single purple bag from his backpack.

"Um, well we were thinking we might actually exchange presents another time," he replies. "You know, in private."

Abigail smirks. "What exactly are you guys giving each other that it needs to be done in private?"

"None of your business," Sebastian mutters, as Sam's cheeks go pink.

"How about you open yours first, Abby," Sam suggests, thrusting the gift bag into her hands. "It's technically from both of us," he adds, as Abigail pulls out a wad of tissue paper, "but we bought you extra to make up for it."

Abigail grins as she holds up a fist full of rock candy. "I have zero complaints; these look delicious." She puts the candy aside for a moment, and passes the silver package to the boys. "So this is actually for both of you to share; I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get you guys a sappy couple's gift now that you're finally a couple."

Sebastian rolls his eyes, but Sam happily tears into the wrapping paper.

"Open the skinny box first, maybe," Abigail suggests, once he's finished with the outer layer of paper. Sam does as he's instructed.

"Oh, these are perfect!" he exclaims, as he holds the first present up for Sebastian to see - a double headphone adapter.

"Thought you guys might find them useful the next time you decide to snuggle up and watch a movie, or listen to one of your sappy mixtapes, or whatever you nerds like to do," Abigail explains. "I also thought about getting you guys one of those dumb mittens you can hold hands in, but I figured I should get something Sebastian could actually be coaxed into using."

"We'll definitely use these," Sam assures her. He passes the second box to Sebastian. "Do you want to open this one, then? Since I did the first."

Sebastian carefully unwraps the last package. "You got us… condoms?"

"They glow in the dark!" Abigail adds cheerfully. "So if you guys chicken out at the last second, you can always just blow them up like balloons and have a glow-in-the-dark wiener duel instead. Although fair warning, I had to buy them from Joja Mart, so I'm not sure how durable those are..."

"Well, that's reassuring." Sebastian passes the box to Sam. "Can you stick these in your backpack? My mom is definitely going to have some more questions if I come home with a pack of condoms."

"You can't just shove them in your hoodie pocket?" Sam asks. "What if _my _mom finds them?"

Sebastian shrugs. "Just hide them under your mattress or something, dude."

Sam sighs, and stows both presents into his backpack. "Thanks," he says, looking back up at Abigail. "I can't promise we'll use… all of it? But that headphone adapter is perfect." He turns to smile at Sebastian. "Should we try it out tonight? We're having leftover lentil soup for dinner again, so I was kinda hoping I could crash at your place tonight."

"Fuck. My mom's making mushroom casserole for dinner... I was hoping I could come to _your _place."

As the two of them begin to squabble over dinner plans, Abigail decides that next year, she's going to buy them a cookbook for Winter Star.


End file.
